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Acupuncture has been treating patients since well before the advent of Penicillin and minimally-invasive surgeries. Practiced in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years, acupuncture is a key component of traditional Chinese medicine.
Through the lens of this traditional ancient science, the human body is viewed as a force of engineering, albeit a delicate one. Health is achieved through balance of two opposing and inseparable forces, called yin and yang. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine states the yin represents the "cold, slow, or passive principle, while yang represents the hot, excited, or active principle."
Dr. Jun Xu has an office in Greenwich. He graduated from Guangzhou and Jiangxi Colleges of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China, with training in acupuncture, Chinese herbology, Tai Chi, Qi-Qong, and more. He also graduated with a degree in physical medicine and rehabilitation from New York Medical College, where he was chief resident. Dr. Xu, who grew up in China during the 1960's Great Cultural Revolution, says western medicine is too focused on "detail and diagnosis," while Chinese medicine's emphasis on balance is a more holistic and beneficial approach to overall health. He believes healing and wellness is all about the "whole person."
According to traditional Chinese medicine, health is achieved by maintaining a balanced state in the body. Disease, on the other hand, occurs when there is an internal imbalance of yin and yang. This leads to blockage in the flow of qi --or, vital energy -- along pathways (meridians). Through acupuncture, qi can be unblocked at points on the body that connect these meridians.
Although the number of meridians varies from some 14 to 20, there are main channels that connect the body in a web-like, interconnected matrix of at least 2,000 acupuncture points.
Dr. Xu's focus is keenly on the whole person, and begins with body structure and spiritual strength. He teaches his patients, among other things, correct posture, but he also stresses patients' innate ability fight illness. There are channels, he explains, that travel from a person's hands and feet to their brains. These, he says, help the brain to release endorphins that can help you feel "relaxed, calm and in less pain."
But Dr. Xu is quick to point out that acupuncture -- unlike minimally-invasive surgery, for example -- is an ancient art. And, he says, its goal is simple. It is to heal patients.
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